Pupil numbers ‘to top 8m for first time in half a century’
This article demonstrates how the very varied pattern of education is conditioned by amongst other things, critical mass and geography – very often to the detriment of smaller rural schools. I am not sure this increase in numbers will do very much, without careful thinking and engagement to improve the local options available and a proper realisation from people like the lGA spokesman quoted below that this challenges also exists in rural places!! It tells us:
But the latest figures show that the “demographic bulge” will hit lead to the first recent increase in the secondary-age population by 2016. Over the next decade, the rise in the secondary school population – 17 per cent – will be more than double that seen in state primaries.
It suggests that some of the problems seen in primary schools could be replicated in secondary education.
The disclosure comes just weeks after figures showed 4,000 infants had been left without the offer of any primary for September because of the pressure on places.
Today, the DfE insisted it was spending £5bn over the course of this parliament on new school places, with more than 260,000 being created in the last few years alone.
But the Local Government Association said there was “huge local pressure in some areas”.
David Simmonds, chairman of the children and young people board, said: “The reality is that parents in many cities are not able to exercise choice over the school they send their children because of the pressure on places. That’s true in parts of London and we’re also starting to see it in other cities such as Bradford and Bristol.”
He added: “There was always more spare capacity in secondary schools than primaries, which is why the huge capacity-building programmes have been aimed at primary level.